Zola reassures Napoli fans: Conte's preseason may result in a slow start

Antonio Conte's debut as manager for Napoli ended in disappointment as the team suffered a 3-0 defeat against Hellas Verona last weekend.

But Zola told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "It's still early, also because we always remember how you get to the end, not how you start. Antonio Conte is someone who always makes a team fit together. Certainly the result in Verona says that they didn't start very well, but it's a team that has yet to blossom. Antonio is also someone who works a lot on a physical level, especially in preseason, so there could also be a problem of this kind.

"But I'm not worried in the slightest: they still have to get the central striker back because for Antonio he is a very important player. Lukaku or Osimhen? I don't know the relationship between Osimhen and the club and this has an important weight. Osimhen has proven to be an important player, and in terms of quality he is a player who lends a lot to the characteristics of the striker that Conte wants. Both Osimhen and Lukaku are two valuable players, with similar physical and playing qualities. But it depends a lot on relationships, and I don't know those.

"Can he fill the gap with Inter? Inter, if we talk about last year's team, created distance between themselves and all the others. It's a championship where not only Napoli, but Juve, Milan and Atalanta themselves are all extremely competitive teams. It promises to be a very important championship and Napoli is one of those that could be a threat for Inter."